Biology Links
Biology Course
Biology "Cave"

Science Links 
Science

DIVERSITY:  

Permit Requirements for Collection of Plants & Animals
ABRS - Australian Biodiversity **
Bio-Diversity - Academy of Natural Sciences 
Five Kingdom System of Classification
Interactive Keys

How to do biological drawings

CLASSIFICATION:  

Taxonomy is the branch of Biology concerned with classification -- the methods and principles of arranging plants and animals into appropriate groups.

The word 'taxonomy' comes from:

• taxis (meaning "arrangement") and
• nomos (meaning "law").

Aristotle was the first known taxonomist. He used reason and logic to arrange organisms into groups with progressively more complex characteristics. He called this organisation the "ladder of life" .

It started with the simplest creatures (e.g. small invertebrates), and progressed upwards to more groups with more complex characteristics (i.e. plants, molluscs, reptiles and mammals), culminating with humans at the top of his ladder.

Biological Classification enables:  

• organisms to be described quickly and accurately

• easier identification of organisms

• simpler and more precise communication of information about organisms

• trends within groups of organisms to be more readily observed and studied

7 Levels of Classification (Carolus Linnaeus - 1707-1778)

kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species

Dichotomous Keys are devices used to classify organisms by making decisions about the presence or otherwise of various characteristics.  The classification key branches into two depending whether or not the characteristic is present.

The Concept of "Species"

• six levels of classification are based on structural characteristics, the seventh level is based on genetic and reproductive traits
• at the species level, organisms can be very similar and may be unable to be separated on a structural basis
• the definition of species suits the animal kingdom more than the plant kingdom

• two organisms are considered to be of the same species if they can breed naturally to produce healthy, fertile offspring

Binomial System

• method of naming organisms developed by Carolus Linnaeus

• genus name comes first and starts with a capital letter

• species name comes second and starts with a lower case letter

• the name is either italicised or underlined

  e.g. Eucalyptus regnans or Eucalyptus regnans

NOTE:  Whatever system of classification, or rule, or definition is used, there are bound to be exceptions.

5 Kingdom System
for Classifying Living Organisms

Living organisms are composed of cells.

Kingdom Monera - Prokaryots

• Bacteria

• Cyanobacteria - Blue-green Algae

Kingdom Protista

• Algae - Yellow-green, Golden-brown

• Protozoans

• Water Moulds & Slime Moulds (sometimes in Fungae)

Kingdom Fungae

• Moulds

• Yeasts

• Smuts & Rusts

• Mushrooms & Toadstools

• Lichen - sometimes in Plant Kingdom

Kingdom Animalia

• Porifera

• Cnidaria

• Platyhelminthes

• Nematoda

• Annelida

• Mollusca

• Arthropoda

  • Crustacea - e.g. prawns, crabs, woodlice
  • Myriapoda - e.g. centipedes, millipedes
  • Chelicerata (Arachnida) - e.g. spiders, scorpions
  • Uniramia (Insecta) - 6 largest orders
    • Diptera - Flies
    • Coleoptera - Beetles
    • Phasmida - Stick-Insects
    • Dictyoptera - Cockroaches and Praying Mantids
    • Hymenoptera - Wasps, Ants and Bees
    • Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths

• Echinodermata

• Chordata

  • Sub-phylum  Protochordata - Hemichordata (acorn worms), Cephalochordata (lancets), Tunicata/ Urochordata (sea squirts)

  • Sub-phylum Vertebrata

    • Fish
    • Amphibians
    • Reptiles
    • Birds
    • Mammals

Kingdom Plantae

• Non-vascular

  • Multi-cellular Algae - Red, Green, Brown

  • Lichens - awkward to classify

  • Bryophyta

    • Mosses

    • Liverworts

• Tracheophyta - Vascular

  • non-seed bearing

    • Pteridophyta - Ferns

  • Spermatophyta - seed bearing

    • Gymnosperms

    • Angiosperms

      • Monocotyledons

      • Dicotyledons

Viruses

• parasitic, non-cellular

• only "alive" in a cellular sense when inside a host

• when not inside their host's cells they exist as particles called virions

• classification is by either:

  • host in which they are found

  • nucleic acid type

Classification Notes

Berkeley University's Guide to "Life"

Berkeley University Classification Links:

A: Prokaryota
Archaea
Bacteria

B: Eukaryota
1 Chromista

2 Fungi

3 Metazoa (Animals)
 Ecdysozoa:
Arthropoda
Nematoda
Lophotrochozoa:
Annelida
Brachiopoda
Mollusca
Deuterostomia:
Echinodermata
Vertebrates
Chondrichthyes (Sharks)
Tetrapoda
Dinosauria
Aves (Birds)
Mammalia

4 Plantae
Spermatophytes (Seed Plants)
 Anthophyta (Flowering Plants)

5 Protista
 unicellular protists 
 multicellular protists